All posts by Kate

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

November – January WebJunction Webinars

Here’s the list of November-January webinars available through WebJunction.  Click on the links to register for these upcoming sessions.

November Webinars:

The Power of Image: presenting with the brain in mind

Tues., Nov.  6, 1 p.m. Central,  60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/The_Power_of_Image.html

The human brain is wired to respond to images. Scientific studies of the brain are providing powerful insights for designing and delivering presentations that grab the attention of the learner. Once you understand the key concepts of strong visual communication, you can get unstuck from the stale text-and-bullet format of presentation. You don’t need to be a designer to learn some simple tips and tricks that will punch up your presentations and wake up your audience.

Presented by: Betha Gutsche, program manager, WebJunction OCLC, and visual communications advocate.

Energize your base: Tips and tools to raise awareness and build support for library services

Wed., Nov. 14,  noon Central,  90 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/energize_your_base.html

We know that libraries are a good investment but with tight budgets, we need to energize our base – to take action to connect more strongly with community members, to find out what excites them, and to let them know how libraries are changing lives – one connection at a time. Our panel will explore three vehicles that can help you increase awareness of library services:

Library Videos – New videos from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that showcase work done in libraries that are transforming lives by changing the way we connect.
Geek the Library – A community awareness campaign offered free to libraries to help strengthen community connections and library support.
Data Visualization – We collect lots of data. Learn how the Colorado State Library is helping local libraries use their data to tell a story about impact.

Presented by: Karen Perry, Senior Program Officer, Global Libraries, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Jennifer Pearson, OCLC Senior Manager for Advocacy Programs; Jamie Hollier, Project Manager with PLA and Library Consultant; and Linda Hofschire, Research Analyst, Library Research Service, Colorado State Library.

 

December Webinars:

Outreach Programs in Rural Communities: Simple Steps for Surprising Results

Thurs., Dec. 6, 1 pm Central,  60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Outreach_Programs_in_Rural_Communities.html

The PEARL (Promoting and Enhancing the Advancement of Rural Libraries)Project has been successful in helping Texas rural librarians reach out to groups and organizations in their communities and to raise visibility of and appreciation for their libraries. Community outreach plans, designed to identify and fill a need in the community, are at the heart of this unique model. The process is supported by an actionable template which leads participants from community assessment, through strategic planning, to implementation, and concludes with evaluating outcomes. This webinar, co-sponsored with WebJunction and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, will explore the outstanding results achieved by participants in the PEARL project and share how community outreach plans have led to unexpected outcomes and some surprising results.

 Presented by:  Barbara Blake, Outreach Coordinator for the PEARL Project, University of North Texas; and Louise W. Greene, Association for Rural and Small Libraries and PEARL Mentor.

What Would Walt Do?: Quality Customer Service for Libraries

Wed., Dec. 12, 2012, noon Central, 60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/What_Would_Walt_Do.html

Looking for some magic to improve customer service in your library? The Disney Institute on Quality Service has set high standards for creating a quality customer experience and their ideas can be applied at your library. Our panel of Colorado librarians attended the Disney Institute Quality Service preconference sponsored by ALA’s LearnRT at the annual conference in Anaheim in 2012. Since then, they’ve been waving their magic wands to improve customer service in Colorado libraries and they’d like to share their discoveries with you. Learn how to define quality service, set a common purpose for all library staff, and better understand your customers. You’ll walk away with ideas to make your library’s customer service sparkle.

This WebJunction webinar is presented in collaboration with ALA’s LearnRT. Did you attend the Disney Institute? Join this conversation and share your ideas and successes.

Presented by: Crystal Schimpf, Trainer, Colorado State Library; Elena Rosenfeld, Associate Director of Public Service, High Plains Library District; and Suzanne McGowan, Branch Manager, Anythink Wright Farms.

January Webinars: – WJMN members may register now for the following January sessions.

The Impact of an Ice Cream Sundae

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 ♦ 1 pm Central, 60 min

Early Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/The_Impact_of_an_Ice_Cream_Sundae.html

What does an ice cream sundae have to do with library partnerships? Let’s pretend that your community organizations (school, academic, public and special libraries, and other local organizations) are your favorite kind of ice cream. Now let’s ladle your favorite toppings over the ice cream to represent  the organizations’ resources, programs, personnel and funding.  How can the ice cream “mix” with the toppings to be the most luscious dessert possible for the most people?  When community organizations collaborate to share their resources with one another, they make the biggest possible impact on the most lives. Learn easy, understandable and powerful strategies that will give you renewed energy to create bold and imaginative collaborations among all types of community organizations.

Presented by: Kathy Jacobs, Director, Yankton (SD) Community Library

Creating a Culture of Innovation in your Library and Community

Wednesday, January 23, 2013 ♦ noon, Central, 60 min

Early Registration:  http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Creating_a_Culture_of_Innovation.html

We hear about libraries that are leaders in innovation, implementing ideas that keep the library growing and vital. Perhaps you have watched from the sidelines and wished you could kickstart some innovation at your library, but you’re not sure where to start. Come to this webinar for an active and lively discussion on how to find innovative ideas, how to connect with the people to help make them happen, and how to get buy-in and support for your ideas. There is a lot to be learned from other libraries’ examples and experiences.

Presented by: Heather Braum, Digital & Technical Services Librarian at the Northeast Kansas Library System, blogger at www.heatherbraum.info, and 2010 Kansas Library Association’s New Professional of the Year.

The WJMN Team –

Cecelia Boone, Minitex

Mary Ann Van Cura, State Library Services

Explore: http://www.webjunction.org/partners/minnesota.html .  Twitter :http://twitter.com/webjunctionmn! Contact Us: mnwebjunction@gmail.com!

Affiliation with WebJunction Minnesota is free and available to members of the Minnesota library community. Tell your colleagues!

School Media Specialist

News from the Region: Classroom Set of ‘The Chocolate War’ Needed

2 Comments

Does your school have a classroom set of The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier that you won’t be using around January 15th? As a cost savings measure, Paynesville School District is hoping to borrow the classroom set, or purchase it (at a reduced cost) from another school in the region.

Details:

  • Need a classroom set of 30, plus teacher’s activity guides (if available).
  • Needed for third quarter (around January 15th).
  • They are willing to arrange shipping or will pick them up & return them to your school.
  • If  loaning (rather than selling) the set to the Paynesville District, they will pay for any lost or damaged books.

Please contact Joan Nevitt (Media Specialist) directly at joan.nevitt@gmail.com, if you are able to assist them.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Register for Apple Education Seminar: iOS (iPad) in the Classroom

Register now for the Apple Education Seminar, iOS (iPad) in the Classroom! This event will include demonstrations by schools in “TED Talk like format “(10-12 minutes each) on how they are using the iPads as well as demonstrations and presentations by Apple Systems Engineers and Development Executives on how to best use and manage these devices in a school environment.

Cost: Free!

Date: Wednesday, November 14

Time: 8:45-11:45 AM

Where: Sartell Middle School

Registration and additional information can be found at https://edseminars.apple.com/register/p8W1w-s2d71/&proxy=y.

Patricia and I have registered, and are excited to hear from Apple as well as guest presenters from local schools about their use of iOS devices and apps. The format should be engaging and fast-paced as well — covering a lot of ground in a short time! They’re still looking for presenters for these 10-12 minute sessions, so if you have something to share, consider throwing your name in the hat! Your voice could be unique!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School

From the blog Letters to a Young Librarian, comes a frank and funny blog post Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School, Academic Edition about the top ten things that library school didn’t prepare the author for. This particular blog post is focused on academic libraries, while a similar post by Eric Riley focuses on public library work and “interesting” experiences he wasn’t exactly prepared for. You’ll laugh as they recount stories about dealing with difficult patrons, “janitorial work”, and the balancing act when it comes to working with and supporting faculty.

In particular, I appreciated the statement that, whether we like it or not, “the library (the department) is not always in charge of how the library (the space) is used”. I often struggled with this exact concept at the last library I worked at — the library was a prime spot for many events, with at least 80% of all campus events occurring in the library — even events seemingly unrelated to the library and its mission. Overtime, I had to find ways of managing this and still supporting the students with our resources even when the library (space) was otherwise occupied. Additionally, if the library got to take credit for the event and awesome free food — all the better!

So, take a look at the blog posts! What are some statements you agree with? Are there others that the authors missed? Check it out!!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recommended App: iMotionHD

Recommended at the MEMO Conference, iMotionHD is a powerful, yet easy to use tool that allows users to create videos that incorporate time-lapse and stop-motion functions. Time-lapse is helpful because it accelerates movement – such as clouds or people passing through an area throughout the day. Others have also used time-lapse for accelerating plant growth or the sky over a 24-hour period. Stop-motion on the other hand, is an animation technique which makes a physically manipulated object look like it’s moving on its own – making your prop come to life on video! Pretty flashy – huh?

iMotion HD supports all orientations and works with all camera-equipped iOS devices. The basic iMotionHD app is a free download; however, the full version of the app sells for $1.99 and allows you to export videos (to Photo Library, iTunes Sharing Folder and Email), to upload to YouTube, and to organize videos in a video library. To find out more about iMotionHD visit the app in iTunes, or visit the iMotionHD site.